A REVIEW of Newport's meals- on-wheels service is starting this week, with a final decision on its future in July.

Plans to axe the £114,000-a-year service to more than 270 people as part of a city council cost-cutting programme were widely condemned earlier this year, prompting a rethink by council bosses.

While discontinuing the service is still an option, the council's overview and scrutiny forum (OSF) for adult and housing services is being asked by council leader Bob Bright for an in-depth analysis of the service, the needs of the individuals who use it, and alternative ways in which they might be provided with meals.

Pensioners receiving meals on wheels, and the Women's Royal Voluntary Service which provides the service for the council, have condemned the plan to discontinue it, fearing a vital lifeline for vulnerable people will be lost.

The council has argued that those receiving meals on wheels are not Newport's most vulnerable residents and it must take an overall view of the needs of the elderly, while trying to make savings.

The cost was due to contribute to savings of more than £250,000 on the adult services budget.

The OSF for adult and housing services meets on Thursday to approve terms of reference for the review. Its main components will be:

A full analysis and description of the current meals-on- wheels service, its delivery, and its eligibility criteria for the assessment of need.

A review of changes over the past ten years, including analysis of the decline in demand.

A profile of those currently receiving meals on wheels, to try to understand individuals' precise needs. This will take into account the capacity and facilities available to these people to obtain and heat meals, their current care arrangements, and the need for social contact.

A full review of different ways requirements for meals and social contact can be provided, involving a review of eligibility criteria, alternative means of delivery, storing and heating, or reheating meals on the premises, the range of suppliers of prepared meals, re-assessment of domiciliary care packages in relation to the heating of meals.

The review starts on Thursday, with a final report scheduled for June. The cabinet will consider the final recommendations in July.

The move sparked a huge outcry in Newport, particularly from users who said the service provided one-to-one contact with a visitor, not just meals.